Home ISSF President Cup: Manu Bhaker wins second Gold as India finish with...

    ISSF President Cup: Manu Bhaker wins second Gold as India finish with five medals

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    Manu Bhaker bagged her second gold medal at the ISSF President Cup in Wroclaw, Poland, which she won on the concluding day partnering Turkey Ozgur Varlik in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Mixed Team.

    In the Women’s 25m Pistol, Rahi Sarnobat landed yet another top-class international medal to her growing kitty, pocketing the silver.

    The efforts meant that Indians won a total of five medals in the prestigious year ending event.

    Manu had earlier partnered Iran Javad Foroughi to clinch gold in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team on the opening day of the competition.

    The seasoned Rahi, who has quite the reputation as a strong finalist, was in her elements again on Tuesday. She shot consistently in the final to climb from fifth place initially to second after the fifth five-shot series. She maintained that position from there on and was three points behind the gold-winning German Doreen Veenekamp, going into the tenth and final series. She managed two hits to the German one to end with 31- just two behind Veenekamp.

    It was a classy field featuring Rio Olympic champion Anna Korakaki of Greece and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Xiao Jiaruixuan of China among others. Manu Bhaker, the second Indian in this field finished sixth with a score of 17.

    But Manu was not to be denied on the day, as she came back later to partner Turkey Varlik and win Gold in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Mixed Team by a margin of 9-7 over the Chinese/Estonian pair of Xiao and Peeter Olesk. The Indo-Turkish pair opened up a healthy lead of 6-2 in the early stages but Xiao and Peeter fought back to level the match at 6-6. Manu and Ozgur then went ahead 8-6 before tying the final series at 5-5 to earn the crucial ninth point and seal the deal.

    Besides Manu two gold medals and Rahi silver, Saurabh Chaudhary and Abhishek Verm also won silver and bronze respectively in the Men 10m Air Pistol.